Tap sole



Aug. 13, 1935. s. CAPEZIO 2,011,435

TAP SOLE Filed March 19, 1934 INVENTOR Salvafore Capazio ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 13, I935 j. 1.TE,D

ArENr O I E TAP son:

Salvatore Capezio, New York, N. Y. I Application March 19, 1934, Serial No. 716,282

9 Claims. (o1. 36: 8.3)

, other important object of my invention/is to provide the tap with a sound box or sound chamber adapted to augment the sound produced by the tap.

. To the accomplishment of the foregoing and a number of other objects which will herein.- after appear, my invention consists in the tap sole and in the dancing shoe-provided'with a tap sole in the manner hereinafter more particularly described in the specification and sought to be defined in the claims. The specificationris accompanied by a drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows the sole of a shoe provided with my improved tap;

Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same;

I Fig. 3 is a partially sectioned. side elevation of the same taken in the plane of the line 33 of Fig. 1; and v i Fig. 4 is a plan View showing the inside or top ofthe tap. v M

The tap is preferably made of metal and may becast in a single piece from a preferably light metal such as aluminum or one of its alloys. Referring to the drawing, the tap comprises a toe portion I2 and diverging wing portions l4 and i6 forming a continuation of toe portion l2. The contour of the tap preferably follows the contour of the sole I 8 of the shoevery closel especially at the toe portion l2.

-; The toe portion, I2 is relatively thick and provided with a broad front edge 20, presenting a surface approximately equal to the thickness of the sole I8. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen that the front edge 20 of the tap is arranged flush with the front edge of sole i B so that the two together present an exceedingly-broad surface which greatly facilitates toe stands. Furthermore, the edge of the leather sole bears,

has been mounted in place in order to give the tap'and the leathersole the-same contour and to provide, in effect, a single relatively broad front surface; I

. The top of the tap is hollowed out to form a sound chamber or sound box, clearly shown at 22 in Figs. 3 and 4. The hollow may be made quite deep because of the unusually great thickness of the tap. I It is borderedat the sides and front by a marginal flange 24 and this flange has a broad top surface sufficient to provide. adequate support for the sole l8 of the shoe.'{ The I chamber 22 is left open at the rear edge 26 and as shown in Fig. 4, in order to increase the support for the sole i 8 of the shoe and to thereby at. least partially compensate for the absence of direct support between the rear edge 25 of the tap and the shoe sole.

-The great thickness of the toe portion I2 of the tap is not maintained throughout the tap and the wings M and It are thinned down toward the rear of the tap as will be evident from an inspection of Figs. 2 and 3. Furthermore, the extreme edge of the tap whichis maintained at a substantially uniform thickness'around the toe portion i2 isbeveled or thinned at the side edges of the tap, there being atransition at the points 30., (Figs. 1 and 2). I

The thinning of the tap from the front toward the rear,'together with the thinning of the edges of the wing portions, thus giving the wings a convex surface, increases the projection of the toe portion of the tap from theshoe and makes the same better available for tapsproduced at the toe; The tap is secured to the shoe by appropriate nails or screws which pass through mounting holes 32. These holes are preferably countersunk to receive the nail heads, and in the case. of the hole 34 at the tip of the tap, the hole may be counter-sunk. fromboth sides in order not to obstruct the nail despite the extra thickness of metal at that point. It will be evident from the drawing that the attachment is through the flange 24 which is of ample breadth for the purposel i The nails 35 may .be of any desired type but I find it preferable to use a nail having locking rings 38 around the body and a thinned portion at the end which is bent over within the shoe insole when attaching the tap. Except for the hole 34, the nail holes are located on the thinned edges of wings i4 and I6 and it will be noted that the wing I6 is provided with four nail holes,

while the wing I4 has only three, this being due to the fact that wing I6 is longer than wing I4.

It is believed that the mode of constructing and attaching my improved tap, as well as the many advantages thereof will be apparent from the foregoing detailed description.

The combination of shoe andtap facilitates toe stands because of the broad toe surface, and-prevents the troublesome slippage of an all metal toe edge because of the contact of the leather sole with the floor, The relatively thick projecting toe portion facilitates tapping with the toe, while the weight of the tap is reduced behind the toe. A loud clear sound is produced by reason of the sound box construction. Adequate area is provided for comfortable support of the sole.

It will be apparent that while I have shown and described the tap in preferred form, changes and modifications may bemade in the structure disclosed Without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim: a

1. A metallic tap comprising a single'body of metal having a thick front edgejand diverging sides tapering in thickness .from the front edge, said tap being hollowed at its upper surface to form a soundbox bordered by a marginal flange, said flange. being broad on its upper'surface'to provide adequate support for the sole of the shoe to which it isattached and terminating at the rear side edges ofthe tap,1whereby said sound box is open 'at the rear of the tap, said flange havinga plurality of .nail holes passing therethrough, I

2. Ameta'llic tap comprising a single body of metalhaving a toe portion and rearwardly extending divergent .wing portions, the toe portion of said tap having a thickarcuate edge which is substantially perpendicular to the upper face of the tapbut the wingfportions of said tap being tapered or thinned down when viewed in elevation, \vherebythe toe portion projects downwardly relative to the wing portionsand is therebymade better available for toe taps, the top of said tap being hollowed out and bordered by a flange. of'substantial breadth to adequately support the sole of the shoe, and said flange having a plurality of nailholes passing therethrough.

3. The combination with atap comprising a body of metal having a thick front edge and divergent sides tapering in thickness from the front edge, said tap being hollowed at its upper surface and borderedby a broad marginal flange, of a shoe having a. sole of substantial thickness at the toe portion thereof, and means securing the tap to the sole of the shoe with the thick front edge of the tap positioned flush with the front edge of the sole.

4. The combination with a metallic tap com prising a single body of metal having a thick front edge and divergent sides tapering in thickness from the front edge, of a shoe having a leather 2,011,435 I, f f

the rear side edges of the tap, whereby said sound box is open at the rear of the tap, said flange having a plurality of nail holes passing therethrough, and means passing through the nail holes securing the tap to the sole of the shoe with the thick front edge of the tap positioned flush with the front edge of the sole.

5. The combinationwith a metallic tap comprising a toe portion and rearwardly extending divergent wing portions, of 'a shoe having a sole of substantialthickness at-the toe portion thereof, the toe portion of said tap having a thick edge but the wing portions of said tap having edges which are thinned down, the top of said tap being hollowed out and bordered by a flange of'substantial breadth to adequately support the sole of the shoe, and means securing the tap to the sole with the thick front edge of the tap positioned flush with the front edge of the sole.

6. The combination with a metallic tap comprising a toe portion and rearwardly extending divergent wing portions, of ashoe having a leather sole of substantiallthickness at .thetoe portion thereoifithe toe portion of said tap having a thick edge but the wing portions of said tap having edges which are thinneddown, the top center portion of said'tapbeing hollowed out to forma sound box which is openl at the rear but whichis bordered at thesides and front by a flange of substantial breadthto adequately support the sole of the shoe, and means securing the tap to the sole of the shoe with thethick front edge of the divergent wing portions, of ashoe having a sole of substantial thickness, at the toe portion'thereof, the toe portion of said-taphaving a thick arcuate edgewhich is substantially perpendicular to the sole of the shoebut the wing portions of'said tap being tapered or thinned down when viewed in elevation, whereby the toeportion projects'dbwnwardly from the shoe relative to the wing portions andiSthereby made better available for toe taps,

the to'p'of said tap being hollowed out and bordered by a flange of' substantial breadth to adequately supportthe soleof the shoe, and means I securing the tap-to the sole of the shoe with the thick front edge of the tap positioned flush with the frontedge of the sole; 9. A metallic tap comprising a single body of metal having a thickfro'nt edge which is substantially perpendicular to'the upper face of the tap and having diverging sides tapering in thickness from the front edge, said tap being hollowed atits-upper-surface toforma sound box bordered by a marginal flange,said flange beingbroad on its upper surface to provide adequate support for the sole of the shoe to which it is attached,-'and said flange having aplurality' of nail holesfpassing 'therethrough. 1 v

' ."SALVATOREv 'CAPEZIO. 

